LFC close in on Jones - Babel in Galatasaray link

LIVERPOOL have been told they must splash out at least £10million to sign Kenwyne Jones – as Galatasaray prepared to end Ryan Babel’s increasingly controversial Anfield career.

Rafael Benitez has targeted Sunderland striker Jones as he looks to bolster a forward line further weakened by the absence through injury of Fernando Torres.

While an attempt last week to broker a swap deal between Jones and Babel floundered, talks have remained ongoing between Liverpool officials and their Wearside counterparts.

The Anfield outfit were confident they could snap up the Trinidad and Tobago international Jones on loan until the end of the season, with a view to a permanent switch. But Sunderland have decided that any temporary move would not be in their best interests, and slapped a £10m price tag on the 25-year-old.

Sunderland yesterday distanced themselves from claims that Jones, signed by the Black Cats from Southampton for £6million in 2007, was due on Merseyside to undergo a medical.

But, tellingly, chairman Niall Quinn stopped short of giving a cast-iron assurance the striker would leave this month.

"Kenwyne Jones knows exactly what I think of him," said Quinn. "I love him as a footballer. He's got the complete package and if things work out for him in the second half of the season, he's vital to us.

"Behind the scenes agents may be setting up things with football clubs, but it happens today. We don't want to get rid of anybody at the football club."

While Benitez was already seeking a forward after allowing Andriy Voronin to join Dynamo Moscow, his search has intensified following the knee injury suffered by Torres against Reading last week.

The Spaniard underwent successful surgery in Barcelona over the weekend to trim the meniscus in his knee and is expected to be sidelined for the next six weeks.

A bid for Jones could be funded by the sale of Babel, who may have played his last game for Liverpool with Galatasaray ready to offer the Dutchman an escape route from Anfield.

The winger has been fined the maximum two weeks' wages after revealing on the social networking website 'Twitter' that he had been dropped from the squad to

face Stoke City on Saturday.

Benitez took a dim view and called Babel into his office during training on Sunday to demand an explanation for such unprofessional behaviour.

The 23-year-old claimed the Liverpool manager was ignoring calls from his agent, Winnie Haatrecht, over a transfer, only to be told the matter was being dealt with by chief scout Eduardo Macia and that he should instead concentrate on regaining his first-team place.

Babel, however, took that as a sign he was not wanted at Anfield and stormed out of Melwood, and although he accepted it was a misunderstanding and returned half-an-hour later following a phone call from a club official, the damage may already be done.

The latest fall-out has prompted a fresh approach from Galatasaray, who are among a clutch of clubs to have been alerted in recent times by Babel's problems at Liverpool.

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.